Jelly Belly Factory

On our way back from Lake Tahoe, we decided to stop at the Jelly Belly factory at Fairfield. Jelly Belly's are one of my favourite treats, so we thought it would be fun to visit the factory and take the free tour. At the entry, they had a Volkswagen beetle covered in Jelly Belly's, and some large blow up Christmas characters.

The tours leave every 15 minutes, so we were very quickly on our way. The first stop was the art gallery, where we saw pictures made with Jelly Belly's. These included Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and this one of the Statue of Liberty.

Everyone in the tour had to wear hairnets or a hat, including Dolphie who had come all the way from Sydney with us. We got to walk through the factory on an elevated viewing platform, learning about both the history and how Jelly Belly's are made today from a series of videos. Most importantly, we got to sample a few Jelly Belly's, including the new 'Eaton Mess' flavour, along the way.

As with most tours, at the end of the tour we arrived at the Jelly Belly shop. One of the most popular purchases are Belly Flops - the Jelly Bellies that have been rejected because of their size or shape. But there were more samples available, and I was particularly keen to try the new Chocolate Dip varieties, which were delicious. Nobody in the family was game to try the BeanBoozled flavors (such as Lawn Clippings, Booger, or Stinky Socks)...


We then headed back for Novato, knowing we'd find an In-N-Out Burger somewhere along on the way...